China censors cut 40 minutes off sci-fi epic 'Cloud Atlas'

Beijing: Censors in China have reportedly edited out 40 minutes of content from the sci-fi epic 'Cloud Atlas' before its release next week, cutting the film to just 137 for its mainland version.

The original film, based on the novel of the same name, spanned 172-minutes long for European and American markets, but cuts made by China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) have whittled it down to just over two hours, reported Xiaoxiang Morning Post.

"Although the mainland version is a bit constrained, (we) fully believe in the regulator's editing standards," said 'Cloud Atlas' co-director Tom Tykwer, who was in Beijing on Tuesday to promote the movie ahead of its January 31 release.

Censors in China have edited out 40 minutes of content from \'Cloud Atlas\' before its release next week.

Tykwer has co-directed the film with Andy and Lana Wachowski. The film's mainland partner, Dreams of the Dragon Pictures, also acknowledged the cuts and said it was only following regulations of the SARFT.

The news comes after complaints from film fans over deletions made to the James Bond film 'Skyfall', also out this week in China.

The scenes cut include nudity and those which the censors believe weakened the theme or confused the plot. Its complicated narrative involves six interweaving stories from different eras, one of which is set in a dystopian future Korea run by a corporate totalitarian culture.

The film has been attacked by Media Action Network for Asian Americans for using Caucasian actor Jim Sturgess to play a central Korean role.

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